Auckland Libraries blog

This week on Books and Beyond, Karen and Louisa look at books celebrating the human-animal bond. Listen to this episode on the Auckland Libraries podcast  and read on for the books mentioned in the show. Novelty cat books Out next year! The costume-loving cat of writer Paul Koudounaris has secured herself a book deal, as reported in Viva magazine Texts from Mittens: a cat who has an unlimited data plan... and isn't afraid to use it by Angie Bailey Animal mysteries, a subgenre of Cozy Crime: Hounding the pavement  by Judi McCoy Mission impawsible  by Krista Davis Murder most howl  by Krista Davis Not a creature was purring  by Krista Davis Three books about beloved dogs: Finding Gobi: the true story of a little dog and an incredible journey by Dion Leonard with Craig Borlase   Flush, a biography by Virginia Woolf   Afterglow: a dog memoir by Eileen Myles   Treasure from the basement: ...

For some time, we've been working on how to expand our regional mobile library and access services to be able to reach more Aucklanders, more often. We're pleased to announce that our expansion plans have now been approved by Auckland Council's Environment and Community Committee and we will be rolling out the following changes in the coming months. Increasing our current team of staff members and creating new roles. These include a reo speaking Māori Mobile librarian, rural library coordinator and librarian to support volunteers, and a homebound access coordinator to provide access to customers unable to leave home Operating three large buses and two, more agile, vans Operating seven days a week and expanding outside of traditional hours (previously mobile libraries only operated on weekdays during normal business hours) - read on for details of the updated stops and new schedules (effective from 15 October) Visiting more local and regional events throughout Tāma...

Banned Books Week is now in its 36th year, still championing and defending the freedom to read. The spotlight's on banned, sequestered and burned books through history (including two from Aotearoa), as Karen and Louisa celebrate the freedom to read, and conclude that books always outlast their bans! Listen to this episode on the Auckland Libraries podcast  and read on for the books mentioned in the show. Karen and Louisa presented the American Library Association's list of the top ten most challenged books in 2017 . Nine banned books which feature on the Auckland Libraries poster for Banned Books Week: Candide by Voltaire The divine comedy by Dante Ulysses by James Joyce Ghosts by Henrik Ibsen Gargantua and Pantagruel , 1553 by Francois Rabelais Life and fate by Vasily Grossman Lolita , 1955 by Vladimir Nabokov All quiet on the Western front , 1928 by Erich Maria Remarque Other books discussed: Into the river  by Ted Dawe The beginne...

To celebrate Suffrage Day on 19 September, Renée Orr from Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections talks about a selection of historical material illustrating wāhine taking action in Aotearoa, from the suffrage petitions of the 1890s to the feminist magazine Broadsheet from the 1980s. Listen to this Books and Beyond episode on the  Auckland Libraries podcast  and read on for links to the items and people discussed in the show. Suffrage 125 and the petition Suffrage 125 and celebrations Suffrage petition  on New Zealand History Suffrage petition, sheet 394   Amey Daldy's letter to Sir George Grey Amey Daldy. Letter to Sir George Grey, 20 September 1893. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections, GLNZ D1.1. Amey Daldy's biography on Te Ara Amey Daldy's letter to Sir George Grey Ellen Melville's election poster Electors of Grey Lynn. 1919. From: Ellen Melville. Election scrapbooks. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections, NZMS 1569.   ...

Karen talks with Jeremy 'Mr J' Bishop from Arkham City Comics about his parallel journeys as a librarian and comics fanboy, and how the comics genre succeeded in ensconcing itself as an indisputably brilliant reading choice. Listen to this episode on the Auckland Libraries podcast  and read on for the books mentioned in the show. Jeremy's favourite comics from childhood: Asterix and Obelix Buster Garfield The Adventures of Tintin Whizzer and Chips Marvel and DC comics: Batman Superman Wonder Woman X-Men Fantastic Four The Phantom Judge Dredd Spiderman Seminal graphic novels (comics packaged as complete stories): The Sandman: Preludes & Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman (1988) Preacher by Garth Ennis (1996) Watchmen by Alan Moore (1986-87) Maus by Art Spiegelman (1987) Palestine  by Joe Sacco (1993) Karen's favourite graphic novels: Corto Maltese by Hugo Pratt (1975 in Italy, 2012 in Engl...

September marks the start of the first ever New Zealand Theatre Month! Karen talks with playwright Roger Hall, the driving force behind this new nationwide celebration of the amazing New Zealand theatre scene. Listen to this episode on the Auckland Libraries podcast  and read on for all the plays mentioned in the show.  Visit the NZ Theatre Month website for more information. Bruce Mason’s classic play, performed every Christmas on Takapuna Beach, and to inaugurate New Zealand Theatre Month: The end of the golden weather  Three of Roger Hall's plays: Middle Age Spread. Glide Time. Four flat whites in Italy. Also mentioned: Author talk: A life in theatre: An event featuring Alison Quigan in conversation with Roger Hall held on Friday 21 September 2019, 6pm - 7.30pm.  Mercury Theatre manuscript collection: Explore the Mercury Theatre manuscript collection on Kura Heritage Collections Online or Manuscripts Online . A Sunday...

Auckland Libraries' Reading Between the Wines  brings together bars, books and bookworms from all across T ā maki Makaurau.  On the first Thursday of each month, awesome librarians will meet you at a different venue around Auckland, with over 40 books for you to browse through.  Community Librarian Laura Caygill recently spoke to  Jesse Mulligan on Radio New Zealand  about the history of Reading Between the Wines , the upcoming session this Thursday 6 September, and our exciting plans to branch out onto the North Shore in October. You can listen to the RNZ segment here. This Thursday 6 September, Reading Between the Wines will take place at The Conservatory on the Viaduct. Don't worry if you're not a member of the libraries, you can join up on the night! Enjoy a glass of wine or two and meet like-minded people, whilst searching for your next favourite read.  Keep up to date with the latest Reading Between the Wines news by following  th...